


Werewolves at Hogwarts

by beargirl1393



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adoption, Child Neglect, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Original Character(s), Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Slow Burn, implied neglect of a child, lycanthropy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-12
Updated: 2016-09-14
Packaged: 2018-08-14 16:24:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8020804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beargirl1393/pseuds/beargirl1393
Summary: Severus Snape is rather content with his life post-war. He has a job at Hogwarts, summers free to experiment and create new potions, and an almost-friendship with Remus Lupin. Things change when Minerva summons them both to her office to announce who the new Defense teacher will be and to draw their attention to a scholarship student who will be attending Hogwarts in the fall. For good or ill, change is in the air and both Remus and Severus are powerless to stop it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I got the idea for this at work yesterday, and it wouldn't let me rest until after I wrote it. So far, I'm not sure how many chapters there will be, but I do have a plot in mind so we'll see how many chapters it turns out to be. This will follow some events of the books and movies (ie, Severus was bitten by a snake, Harry killed Voldemort), but will also ignore some of them (Remus and Tonks didn't get married or have a son, some of the characters who died aren't dead in this). The big ones you need to know right now are that Remus and Tonks never dated, married, or had Teddy, and that both Severus and Remus are alive. Any others will be mentioned as it happens.
> 
> The title is a WIP, I just needed a placeholder until I think of a proper one.

Hogwarts after the war was different than it had been at any other point in his life. Severus remembered tension in the air even when he was a first year, both inside the school and out. It had only gotten worse as he grew older, and the atmosphere in the world outside Hogwarts’ gates had not been any better. Life during a war was something he had never wanted to experience again, and yet he was once more convinced to take up the mantle of Dumbledore’s spy when he was thirty-four. He had known it was coming, had prepared for it, and had been surprised that, at the age of forty, he was alive, free of his service to both of his masters, and not completely hated by the wizarding community.

Granted, he still received Howlers from the members of the wizarding world who thought that he should be locked up in Azkaban, and his reputation as the Greasy Git of Hogwarts Dungeon was still alive and well despite the fact that, now that the war was over for good and he would never need to spy again, he could be more fair in his treatment of his students. Granted, the Gryffindors still annoyed him more than any of the other Houses, but he was slightly more tolerant and less inclined to favor his own House now that he didn’t need to spy any longer.

He hadn’t necessarily wanted to return to teaching once he was free, but Minerva had come to him and asked him specifically to return to teach Potions. The accident rate in that class had been lower while he was teaching, even with Longbottom and the Golden Trio, than it had been for at least a century. He was vigilant, because he knew how dangerous the subject could be, and thus he kept many students out of the Hospital Wing.

Still, it had taken much careful consideration and a promise from Minerva that his summers would be his own for experimentation before he agreed to return. Currently, his only standing order was for Wolfsbane for Lupin, but they had a system worked out for that. It was a rather uneasy truce that they shared, but it was better than any they had in the past and they were almost friends by this point. He knew that Lupin was working with the Ministry to repeal some of the more archaic laws regarding werewolf rights, and thus having a steady supply of Wolfsbane every full moon was necessary.

All in all, Severus was rather content with his life. It was the summer before his second year teaching since the war was over and now that school was about to begin, he was in his quarters working on his lesson plans and checking his storeroom to see what he needed to order before school started and what could be gathered in the Forest, as several rare ingredients grew there and it was quite easy to harvest them, if one knew where to look.

He also made a note to pick up more aconite, as although Lupin’s potion for this month was already brewing and simply needed to steep until it was ready, he would need more before brewing next month’s batch. He also would need to speak to Lupin to see if he would agree to test the modified version of the potion that he had been working on. If it worked well for Lupin, he would submit it to the Ministry for further testing. It would still be a difficult potion to brew, but it would be quicker to make and hopefully more effective than the current product.

It was in the middle of these thoughts that he received a note for Minerva, asking him to join her in her office at his earliest convenience. He grumbled to himself, of course, because he was in the middle of sorting through ingredients, but he could take a short break. Minerva knew that he was planning to work on his storeroom today, and she wouldn’t have bothered him unless it was something important. It was rather like bothering Pomona when she was doing her greenhouse inventory, as the sweet Hufflepuff had a fierce streak that came out when her plants or her Badgers were threatened.

Severus found an appropriate stopping place in his work, double-checked that Lupin’s potion was progressing as it should, and then left the dungeons, heading to the Headmistress’ office. It was rather different than it had been when Dumbledore was in office, his various trinkets replaced by little gifts Minerva had received from former students, colleagues, and her family. She had replaced some of the furniture as well, but largely left the room the same because, as she’d said and he’d agreed with heartily, there were more important things to do than repaint her office.

Giving the gargoyle the password, which was Seonaidh this month. She seemed to be going through various pieces of Scottish mythology for passwords recently, since very few students guessed them. When her password had been ‘Albus’ for the first two months after the war, everyone had been able to get into the office far too easily. She’d eventually given in and changed it, and thus unexpected visitors had been unable to reach her without her permission any longer. Still, as he walked up the spiral staircase, Severus couldn’t help but be amused by the memory of her frustration.

Amusement was replaced by confusion as he opened the door, revealing Minerva sitting behind the desk, as expected, but Remus Lupin sitting in one of the chairs across from it. “Lupin?” Perhaps he should have let go of his habit of calling the man by his last name, but it had become something of a joke between the two of them.

Remus looked no less surprised than Severus did. “Severus? I didn’t know that you would be here.”

Minerva looked rather smug, apparently pleased that she had so neatly surprised them. “I invited you both, because there is a matter that I need to discuss with both of you. Two matters, actually.”

“If it involves brewing Wolfsbane for Lupin, you can save your speech, Minerva,” Severus said, accepting a cup of tea and settling in the other free chair near the desk. “He came to me in the hospital and requested my services then.”

“In hindsight, that wasn’t very nice,” Remus mused, chuckling. “But I knew that if I didn’t catch you then, I would be chasing all over Britain trying to find you. I didn’t expect you to request me to bring the materials to the hospital right then and there.”

“They weren’t allowing me to do anything, I was more than ready for a challenge,” Severus said simply, shrugging. “I knew that I had everything needed at my house, all you needed to do was retrieve them and bring them to me, since I wasn’t allowed to leave.”

“Because if you left, they knew you would never come back,” Remus said dryly, causing Severus to smirk. It was true, after all.

“As pleased as I am to see you two getting along now,” Minerva said, interrupting the conversation between the two men and causing them both to look at her. “We do have a few important matters to discuss before you both leave. One of them, Severus, was indeed asking if you would brew Wolfsbane for Remus, as I intend to offer him the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.”

“You finally decided that Caroule was a joke and needed replaced?” Severus asked. The man had been hired when Hogwarts re-opened after the war, and he was a pompous little man who treated Severus, and the returning Slytherins from Death Eater families, as though they would attack at any moment. Granger, even with her usual worship of any teacher, hadn’t respected the man and had sought out other instruction.

“You want me to teach again?” Remus asked. He didn’t have to ask who Severus was talking about, the man had ranted about the other teacher often enough during their monthly meetings that he knew that replacing Caroule was a good idea. He had thought that Minerva simply wanted to reminisce, perhaps make sure that he was able to obtain his Wolfsbane, not offer him a job.

“Yes, I am replacing Caroule and yes, Remus, I am offering you his job,” Minerva said, adjusting her spectacles before pulling out the contract and handing it to Remus. “As well as the position of Head of Gryffindor. I have been handling that position as there hasn’t been a suitable candidate for the post before, but it isn’t fair for the Headmistress to also be a Head of House. There were murmurings of favoritism.”

“Your treatment of them silenced those rumors rather effectively,” Severus pointed out, although he didn’t blame Minerva for wanting to give up the job. Being a Head of House was a lot of work even in addition to an ordinary teacher’s job. Balancing Head of House responsibilities, teaching duties, and her duties as the Deaputy Headmistress had been difficult, but Minerva had managed admirably. He didn’t blame her for delegating now that she was the Headmistress.

“You would be required to live in the castle during the school year, but your summers would be your own, as you likely remember,” Minerva continued, steering the conversation back on track. “Your quarters will need to be near Gryffindor tower, if you decide to accept the position as Head of Gryffindor, but you will have your pick of any available classroom. Pay information, sick leave, and such are included in the contract in front of you. When you are recovering from the full moon, we will have other teachers filling in for you.”

“I couldn’t ask them to do that,” Remus protested, reading over the contract thoroughly. “I didn’t much like it the first time, honestly.”

“Lupin, you won’t be any use to them if you are exhausted and in pain,” Severus pointed out. “We managed to accommodate your condition the last time that you were on the staff, and we can do so again. It is no different from when we need to cover Minerva’s classes because of her migraines.”

“I’ve already spoken to the other Heads, Remus, and they agreed to stand in if it’s possible,” Minerva continued. “Filius and Pomona know enough of the subject to adequately cover for you, as does Severus. If necessary, I will handle some of the lessons, but I am sure we will be able to make it work. Our students need a proper teacher, Remus, and none of the applicants so far would be able to handle the first years, let alone the seventh years.”

Remus had to admit, the Defense teachers, even when he was a student, had always been a joke. They’d learned out of their books, practiced the practical bits in unused classrooms, and passed the class that way. Giving the students a proper teacher would at least limit the number of accidents from improperly cast spells, if nothing else.

“You will be better than Caroule, Lupin,” Severus said, causing Remus to look over at him. “And I will make sure that you take the Wolfsbane so that there are no incidents like last time.” Neither of them would allow a mistake like that to happen again.

“Well, if both of you think that I can do it, who am I to refuse?” Remus asked, chuckling softly as he finished reading and signed the contract in the appropriate places, handing it back to Minerva once he was finished. “Was that why we were summoned?”

Minerva smiled at the joke, but it faded at the question. She shook her head, picking up a file from one of the neat piles on her desk, opening it and turning it so that Remus and Severus could see the contents. “This is the other reason why you were both requested.”

Curious, the two men looked over the file. It had general information about a student who would be starting at Hogwarts this year. The future first year was a scholarship student, which explained the file. They all tried to pitch in where they could to help the scholarship students, whether it was with books, a new robe, or whatever else they could do to help cover what the scholarship didn’t.

The child was a halfblood, a witch for a mother and a muggle father. She had been given up at the age of four, and since then had been passed around to every foster home, group home, and orphanage in Britain. None of them kept her longer than two months. Before either man could wonder what had happened to make this child so difficult to keep, both of them noticed the same part of the file.

Infected with Lycanthropy at the age of four.

Their new scholarship student would be the first werewolf to attend Hogwarts since Remus had graduated. And, unlike Lupin, she didn’t have a family to return home to during the summers, nor could she take Wolfsbane.

“It is good that Pomona was able to save the Womping Willow after the War,” Severus said after a moment, and ignored the light glare that the statement earned him from Minerva.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if this needs a warning, but there is a slight mention to self-harm. I have a headcanon that young werewolves, and any ones that can't take Wolfsbane but aren't part of a pack will end up clawing at themselves as well as the walls and furniture of the room they're in. Remus is scarred, as is Greyback, so that kind of worked to build my headcanon. It's implied by Remus that the girl does this, because she's too young for Wolfsbane and doesn't have contact with any other weres during the full moon. Wasn't sure if that needed a warning or not, so I decided to put this in the notes.

“So, you called us here because of this girl?” Remus asked, looking between the file and Minerva, focusing on the picture in the file after a moment.

The girl looked about average height for her age, with rather long dark hair and hazel eyes. She was slightly too skinny, but she could simply be a picky eater or have a fast metabolism, they wouldn’t know until Pomfrey checked her over once she arrived at Hogwarts. She was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and jeans in the picture, so any scars were covered between her clothes and her hair. He didn’t doubt that she did have them, it was impossible not to, especially for a child too young to be able to take the Wolfsbane potion. Her wolf would have clawed at itself, the same way his did, because she had no potion nor pack to temper her wolf’s urges and frustrations. All in all, just looking at her, no one would expect that she was anything other than a normal child.

“While I am aware that this is something we should know, shouldn’t this have been brought up at a staff meeting?” Severus inquired. “It is standard procedure.” The headmaster had always called a meeting to discuss that year’s scholarship students, when they had them. He had always wanted to make sure that the students would have what they needed for school, and so they would usually discuss how to ensure the child had at least one present at Christmas, if they celebrated, and other aspects that pertained to the child’s well-being that the scholarship didn’t quite cover.

“Ordinarily, yes, and I will address this at the next staff meeting, but given the child’s circumstances, I thought that it would be best to inform you both first,” Minerva said, looking at them levelly. “Remus, you are an example of what her life can be like, that being bitten doesn’t mean that her life is over. That, despite how she has been treated since being infected, she can still have a perfectly normal life and that she deserves proper care.”

Remus had to admit that she had a point. It wasn’t easy to be a werewolf, but things had become better for them since the war had ended, partially due to his attempts to repeal the more archaic laws governing werewolf rights, but it took time to do. He was one of the few successful werewolves right now, and having someone who had experienced the same things as she did would be a good idea. “I would have offered to do that even if you had told me at the staff meeting, though.”

“I am aware. However, someone will need to be sent to help her buy her supplies, as someone from the school is necessary to ensure that she gets what she needs,” Minerva replied. It was customary to send someone to help the scholarship students get their books, as it was usually more cost effective for them to buy second-hand books and robes, so that the majority of their money was available for their wand, always the most costly of the school supplies. Usually, Pomona or Filius were sent, as they were rather unintimidating and could be counted on to relax the child as well as answering the questions that the child would inevitably have. “I want you both to go and take her to buy her supplies.”

“Both of us?” Severus questioned, setting his tea on the desk.  “I can see why you would send Lupin, when he isn’t transformed he is about as intimidating as a rabbit, but why on Earth are you sending me?” He had been sent roughly as often as Minerva herself had, as Albus had thought that they were too intimidating for children who were rather unsure of their place and possibly easily frightened.

“Because, aside from Remus, you are the foremost authority on werewolves in Britain,” Minerva said simply. “You have done more research on werewolves than any other, and I know that you have been working on an improvement to the Wolfsbane potion.”

“It is still purely theoretical, I haven’t had any opportunity to find a test subject yet,” Severus defended, glaring when Remus looked at him with interest. “And I don’t see what that has to do with the child right now. It is inadvisable to give the potion to any individual under twenty years of age, as it can cause horrible side effects if taken when the werewolf is too young.”

“I didn’t know that,” Remus said, bemused, as he looked over at Severus. Then again, the potion hadn’t come out until after he was in his twenties, so there was no reason that he would have known.

“I want to task you with the challenge of creating a version of the potion that she will be able to take,” Minerva replied, ignoring the glare that Severus gave her. “And, along with Remus, you will be able to answer any questions she has about Hogwarts or her lycanthropy. And, although Remus is a bright man, he has never used the forms that will be needed to allow her to access her scholarship money. You know the goblins are rather unforgiving of mistakes that cause delays.”

Severus had to concede that point, as if there was anything that the goblins hated more than thieves, it was delays. Lupin had never filled out the forms, so it would take him longer than it would take Severus, time that could be better spent taking the child to get her materials and books. Sighing, he gave a short nod. “Fine, I will accompany Lupin and the child to Diagon Alley. I need to purchase more aconite, at any rate, and put my order for this year in at the apothecary.” It would be simpler to just do that while he was with them than to send it out with an owl later.

“And I do have a book on hold at Flourish and Blott’s,” Remus admitted, running a hand through his hair. “I just haven’t had time to go and pick it up. I have to make up the book list for this year before the letters are sent out, but I should be able to have it to you by the end of the week.”

“We’ll go at the beginning of next week, then,” Severus said. “It will give me time to finish my inventory and see what can be gathered in the Forest and what needs to be ordered.” He doubted the child would mind them running a few errands for their classes while they helped her.

“As long as the child gets what she needs,” Minerva said simply, moving to return the file to the stack. “And you will need to speak to her current foster parents. They don’t want to keep her until September 1st, and the Ministry has been unable to find any other prospective families willing and able to take her in.”

“What about the Weasleys? Wasn’t the eldest mauled by Greyback?” Severus questioned. For all of their faults, the family had never been prejudiced against werewolves, and the half-veela didn’t seem to be either.

“Bill and Fleur are busy preparing for their own child, Molly and Arthur are helping them,” Minerva said, sighing. “Ron and Ginny are playing quidditch professionally and don’t have a stable environment for a child. Fred and George are busy with their business and don’t seem to have any interest in children right now. Charlie is in Romania once more, and a dragon reserve is a bit dangerous for an eleven year old, werewolf or not. And Percy…”

“Is a bigot, even if he changed slightly at the end of the war,” Remus finished, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t leave her with him either. What about Harry, or Hermione?”

“Granger is going to a muggle university and still grounded by her parents for Obliviating them,” Severus listed. “And Potter is traveling for a time before he chooses a career.”

“How did you know that, Severus?” Minerva asked. She hadn’t heard much from Harry or Hermione since the war, and from Remus’ surprised expression when Severus had spoken, his contact with the two had been as infrequent as her own.

“Granger wrote to me with questions on the material she is studying and if I knew where to find books with further reference material,” Severus replied, shrugging loosely. “And Potter told me where he was going when he stopped at St. Mungo’s.” After the boy had testified on his behalf to keep him out of Azkaban.

“Is there anyone else from the Order who could take her?” Remus asked, shaking off his surprise. “Kingsley? Luna Lovegood? Neville?”

“Neville is fairly busy at present, he’s studying for his Mastery in Herbology,” Minerva replied, sighing softly. “Ms. Lovegood is also rather busy, caring for her father. Xenophilius is still recovering from his experiences during the last year of the war. As for Kingsley, he has children of his own, not to mention running the Ministry. I don’t know if he has the time to care for a school-aged werewolf in addition to his own children.”

“Point,” Remus admitted, shaking his head. “I hadn’t even thought of that.” Well, they would find somewhere for the child to go, or else they would persuade her current foster home to keep her until she started school. If they could do that, they would have all school year to find her a new home.

“If this charming conversation is over, are we excused? I still need to finish my inventory and check on Lupin’s potion,” Severus interrupted, although he was thinking along the same lines that Remus was. They would figure out something to do with the child, he didn’t doubt that.

“Go, and get back to me soon with an exact date so that I know when to tell the girl’s foster family to expect you,” Minerva said, waving them off and pulling a stack of papers toward herself. The work of the headmistress was never done.

Severus nodded to her and left, unsurprised when Remus followed him out of the room and kept pace with him on his way to the dungeons. “I did plan to tell you of my experiments with the potion.”

“To ask me to be a test subject?” Remus asked perceptively, and Severus nodded because there was no point in lying. “Of course I’ll do it, Severus. I trust that you won’t accidentally poison me, or deliberately try to poison me, for that matter.”

Severus chuckled lowly. “No, I won’t poison you, Lupin. If my calculations are correct, however, it will be more effective than the current potion, and it will be able to be brewed and stored, rather than needing to be taken fresh.”

“That will do a lot of good for other werewolves,” Remus mused. If the potion could be brewed in advanced and stored, then the price of it would likely be lowered. It would be easier for werewolves to obtain it that way, since not many of them were able to find steady jobs due to the wizarding world’s stigmas. He would know, he had been fighting such things all his life and if it weren’t for the fact that he was almost-friends with a Potions Master, it would have been difficult for him to obtain it in the past. “But does it have to taste like troll bollocks?”

“How do you know what troll bollocks taste like?” Severus asked, smirking. “And what would you have me do, Lupin? Add a spoonful of sugar to make your medicine go down more easily?”

“Well, Mary had a lot of success with that,” Remus pointed out, chuckling.

“Oh yes, the Hufflepuff who wanted to save every family that she could,” Severus said, rolling his eyes. “The fortune that she made with those books and movies was spent on muggle exposure fees. I am not adding sweeteners to my potions, Lupin, as it lessens their efficiency, so I don’t care what Mary bloody Poppins has to say on the matter.”

Remus laughed outright at that, shaking his head. “I would rather have the effective potion than the ineffective one, regardless of how horrible it tastes, so I guess there won’t be any sugar sweetening it this time.”

“Or ever. I am not changing my methods because of one odd witch,” Severus replied, smirking when Remus laughed again. “Send me an owl when you are finished with your lesson plans for this year and are ready to take the child to Diagon Alley.”

“You know, at some point before we pick this poor girl up, we should ask Minerva for her name,” Remus pointed out, amused. “But yes, Severus, I’ll tell you when I’m finished with my preparations and we can go to Diagon Alley. Probably best to get it done quickly, before Minerva thinks we’re shirking our duties.”

“Perish the thought,” Severus muttered, and Remus’s laughter echoed in the dungeons as he left Severus to his potions supply cupboard, heading upstairs to look at what classroom would be best for the Defense classroom.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of neglect and abuse of a child, since although Madigan's foster parents don't physically abuse her, they treat her like a wild animal and keep her locked up a lot. She's only with them for a short time before Severus and Remus take her away, but I thought the warning was necessary.

During the following week, Remus looked for an appropriate classroom and worked on his lesson plans for the upcoming school year. He was grateful that he had saved his plans from the last time he had taught at Hogwarts, as it gave him a good starting point. A few of the books needed changed, of course, as new ones had come out since then that had better information for his class, but other than that he was confident that his lesson plans were fine and were flexible enough to be changed if something happened during the year. After all, you never knew what to expect at Hogwarts.

He was confident in his teaching abilities, at least enough that he knew that he would be better than the last teacher they’d had. Harry and the others had told him that he was one of the best Defense teachers they’d had, although teachers like Quirrel and Lockheart hadn’t set the bar very high. He also knew that Severus and Minerva would have never told him that they believed in him unless they truly did believe that he would be a good teacher. He was glad that, this time around at least, the first time teacher nerves weren’t present. He’d barely been able to sleep the week before school started, which was what had led to him falling asleep on the train.

Still, once he’d made out the book list and given it to Minerva, finding his classroom and getting it set up was easy. Most of the creatures he would bring in, like the grindylows or boggarts, wouldn’t be brought in until a few days before the specific lesson, and he didn’t do much in the way of decoration in the classroom. He had a few Dark detectors that he would set out, and books on Defense that he would put on the bookshelves. He let students borrow them for reference material to write their essays as needed, or just for extra reading if they were interested.

All in all, by the time that they were ready to go and pick up the girl, he was confident that his room was ready for the beginning of the year and that his lesson plans were as good as he could possibly make them.

* * *

 

For Severus, the week passed fairly quickly as well. He finished with his inventory, as planned, and then went into the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid to harvest the ingredients that grew there. It saved money in his budget that he would put toward replacing cauldrons that his students seemed to enjoy exploding or melting throughout the year.

Despite what others said about him, Hagrid was a tolerable companion for walks in the Forest. It had been the half-giant who had first shown Severus the location of some of the rarer ingredients, back when he had still been a student. The Forest was one of the few places in Hogwarts that he had been safe from the Marauders and members of his House who looked down on him for being a half-blood. Even now, being in the Forest brought him peace, despite the number of dangerous creatures who roamed inside.

Hagrid had been re-hired as the Care of Magical Creatures teacher once the war ended and, in a move that Severus had described as nearly Slytherin, Minerva had required that Hagrid submit his lesson plans to her before he implemented them. She liked Hagrid, of course, but his idea of dangerous wasn’t the same as everyone else’s, and thus she added that to the contract so that she would be sure that there wouldn’t be another episode similar to the one when Malfoy irritated a hippogriff.

The half-giant was a tolerable companion, however, helping him to find the ingredients that he needed for his students, and a few for his personal brews, as well as some unicorn hair to take to Ollivander’s. The older man had mostly retired, but his grandson had taken over the shop and had just as much talent as his grandfather had. The younger Ollivander would buy unicorn hair to use in wand cores, and Severus usually split the money with Hagrid. In this case, he is going to use the money to put toward the scholarship student’s wand, letting her have more for her other school supplies and possibly leaving a little spending money for her for her ride on the Hogwarts’ Express.

All in all, by the time that he went to meet Remus to collect the child from her foster family, he had accomplished all he had planned to and had even made time to do a bit of research into the potion Minerva wanted him to create. After all, no one had ever come up with a version of Wolfsbane that was safe for children to take, and Severus enjoyed a challenge.

* * *

 

On the day they’d agreed on, Severus and Remus met in Minerva’s office once again. She gave them the address and apparation coordinates of the child’s foster family, as well as a warning.

“They aren’t the most tolerant of people, according to Kingsley,” Minerva said, expression disapproving. “So, I would like for you see how she’s being treated there and if it would be safe for her to be sent back until school begins. The full moon is tomorrow night, so this should be as good of a test as any.”

“That’s why you wanted us to wait this long,” Remus said, understanding dawning. “Both of us were ready three days ago, but you wanted to wait.”

“A true test of how they treat her will be necessary, Lupin,” Severus pointed out. He wasn’t surprised, it made sense to him. “It may be underhanded, but we need to know if they are mistreating her in any way. How did they become her foster family if they are as intolerant as you fear, Minerva?”

“I’ve been wondering the same thing,” Remus admitted. “Why did they take her in, and then decide that they didn’t want her less than a month later? Didn’t they know about her condition?”

“This family didn’t know that she is a werewolf,” Minerva said, sighing. “And so, when they were told, they wanted to send her back. Failing that, they ordered the Ministry to prep a room for her to spend the full moons in.”

“So, what is the problem?” Severus asked. It seemed reasonable enough to him, as they hadn’t known that they needed to prepare a room suitable for a growing werewolf, so they’d forced the Ministry to do it for them.

“Kingsley’s been told that she is being forced to stay in that room permanently, leaving when she needs the restroom and perhaps for meals but being contained otherwise,” Minerva admitted. “We need to know if that is true or not.”

Remus wished that he could say that he was surprised, but he really wasn’t. Werewolves were treated like wild animals, regardless of whether the moon was full or not. He wasn’t surprised that this child was being treated like this by the people who were supposed to be caring for her.

Severus nodded as well, accepting the papers from Minerva. “If we see anything out of the ordinary, we will bring the child back with us.” It would be easier, and likely better for the child than being at the house when Aurors went to question her foster parents about their treatment of her.

“That’s all I ask,” Minerva said simply, waving the two of them off. Neither Severus nor Remus said anything as they made their way through the castle and out of the grounds, both looking at the paper Minerva had given them for a moment before Disapparating.

* * *

 

“In her room, they say,” Severus muttered, as he and Remus made their way through the comfortable home to the room that had been added on by the Ministry. “Walls reinforced with steel, minimal furniture…furniture that has likely been shredded on the nights of the full moon…a perfect place to keep a child for hours every day.”

“Well, they don’t really think of her as a child, do they?” Remus asked, disgust evident. “They just called her ‘the creature’. If Minerva hadn’t told us the girl’s name is Madigan, we wouldn’t have known. I think we should take her back to Hogwarts after Diagon Alley, this is just…”

“Inhumane?” Severus offered, before stopping outside the appropriate door. “It’s locked, Lupin. From the outside. And charmed against a standard unlocking charm. They don’t want her to get out even when she is untransformed.” Accidental magic could unlock doors occasionally, it usually reacted to whatever the young witch or wizard wanted most, after all. It wouldn’t be surprising if this witch had accidentally unlocked the door before. “Even I wouldn’t have done something like this, and with the cretins I have had to teach, the thought was tempting.”

Remus gave Severus a wan smile before they set to work on the charms keeping the door locked. Even working together, it took them the better part of ten minutes to get the door open, and they warily looked into the room, slightly worried about what they would see.

It was as bad as they had imagined, with the walls covered in scratches, the metal that reinforced them showing through in some spots. Even the bed was covered in scratches, the linens on it in tatters. There was a very battered chest at the foot of the bed, and Remus assumed, or rather hoped, that the good sheets were in it and she’d only put the others on the bed now because the full moon was soon.

The child in question was sitting cross-legged on the floor underneath the window. Severus noticed how high up it was, and assumed it was likely made of extremely strong glass as, although there were scratches from where the wolf had jumped and scratched at it during the full moon, trying to escape, it was still intact. There was a book in the girl’s lap, a copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them that looked like it had been handed down to her. Perhaps from her parents? Severus had no idea, and he didn’t have time to think more on the subject because the child looked up then.

“Are you the people coming to take me away?” Madigan asked. Her foster family had been pleased, seeing it as the Ministry finally sending her somewhere else for good. They hadn’t been happy when they’d found out that she was a werewolf, and in the three months that she’d stayed with them, they had made sure that she knew it. She didn’t think that these two could be that bad, and if they were, at least she knew that they wouldn’t keep her long.

“We’re taking you to get your school supplies,” Remus corrected. “Do you have your letter?”

Madigan nodded, marking her place in the book and moving over to the battered trunk. Opening it revealed clothes, worn but serviceable, and several clearly well-read books. Contrary to Remus’ hopes, there wasn’t a spare set of sheets in there, but he did see winter clothing, worn but still in fairly good condition, so at least she hadn’t been entirely neglected. The letter rested on top of one of the books, and Madigan picked it up after she’d returned her book to the trunk.

“You seem neater than most of my students have managed,” Severus said dryly, and he was slightly pleased when the girl giggled softly.

“It’s easier to keep everything together, so it doesn’t get damaged during the full moon,” Madigan said simply, closing the trunk and locking it with the small key that was on a chain around her neck. “My wolf leaves the trunk alone mostly, so everything’s safe in there.”

“Do you have a name for your were form?” Remus asked, curious. James and Sirius had given him his name, but it was usually a pack leader or family member who would name the new were’s form. This girl, who didn’t have pack or family who loved her, might not have gotten that.

True to Remus’ prediction, Madigan shook her head. “No, and I don’t know what a good name for it would be.”

“We can discuss that later, for now we need to go to Diagon Alley, the goblins are waiting,” Severus said, gesturing at the trunk and shrinking it. Remus picked up the miniature trunk and handed it to Madigan, who put it in her pocket. “Is there anything else you would like to take with you?”

Madigan shook her head. Her books and few toys were in the trunk, as were her clothes. She didn’t leave anything lying out, because making a mess just meant more work before moonrise on the full moon nights. “I’ve got everything.”

“Good, because you aren’t coming back here,” Remus murmured, leading the girl through the house with Severus following them. He knew that, once they were in Diagon Alley, she would likely have questions for him, and Severus as well, but they could take that as it came. Right now, he focused on getting them out of here before whatever revenge spells Severus cast did anything. Out of sight was out of mind, and if there were no witnesses then there was no proof. These people deserved anything Severus would dish out to them.


End file.
